She is no
longer an angry young woman, but at the age of 51
Toyah Willcox can still be riled.

The
spark is Nightlifes innocently-intended
query.

Toyahs
last hit single came in 1985, her most recent top
10 album in 1982.

Does
she ever feel frustrated that her recent work is
less widely known than the music she made in her
early 20s?

Thats
not true, she says, with a touch of frost.
My last album went to number six in the
iTunes chart. Im in a band with the drummer
from REM.

These
are valid points. The album was last years
In The Court Of The Crimson Queen. The band is
The Humans, in which Toyah appears with REMs
tour drummer Bill Rieflin.

Whether
either of these projects has eclipsed the publics
image of Toyah with spiky red hair and
paint-factory explosion make-up is a matter for
debate.

Whats
certain is that the Cumbrian crowd on Saturday
will be expecting to hear Eighties anthems
like Its A Mystery and Brave New World.

Toyah
trained as an actress and has played many parts
in tandem with her pop career. Ask if the angry
young woman was really her or just another role
and the answer is unequivocal.

That
was me. In those days there was a scarcity of
women in the profession. They had to fit a
certain mould, a very feminine, sexualised mould.

We
were much more tomboyish. [We being
Toyah and people like Hazel OConnor and
Siouxsie Sioux].

There
was a bit of bravado. We paved the way for women
to be musicians, not sex objects. Women could
come into music because they had something to
say.

A
lot of people didnt like that. But within
the first year virtually everyone of my age was
adopting that look and being very rebellious.
Which means it wasnt rebellious any more.
Thats what happens. The counter-culture
becomes part of the mainstream.

Things
have changed radically. Its great to see
people like PJ Harvey, Lily Allen and Beth Ditto.

Toyahs
music no longer frightens parents. These days
families flock to Here and Now gigs, which Toyah
has been playing for 10 years.

Its
great fun, she says. Its a good
festival for performers. They bring their
families. Its mayhem, but its fun.

The
music is all about the celebration of the
Eighties. So many generations are into that
music. The audiences are getting younger. It kind
of gives the songs a completely new meaning.

When
we wrote these songs none of us meant to get
older and get married. We didnt change but
we mellowed.

Toyahs
acting roles have reflected this. She burst into
view in Derek Jarmans 1977 film Jubilee and
in 1979s Quadrophenia. Since then she has
been strikingly versatile, appearing in Minder
and Shakespeare, presenting Good Sex Guide Late
and Songs of Praise.

Perhaps
her best-known role has been the opening
voiceover for Teletubbies. No one knew how
successful that would be, she says. How
many millions, or billions, of people have heard
that? I was only in the studio for about 20
minutes.

Toyah
lives in Worcestershire with her husband Robert
Fripp, of King Crimson. She will return to
Cumbria in the autumn.

Its
very much like Here and Now, in that its a
celebration of music that affects peoples
lives. Its all classic rock. The audience
love it from the opening song to the end. Its
also very funny. There are singers and dancers
and a band. My songs include Live and Let Die and
Rebel Yell.

Vampires
Rock is one of Toyahs many projects. She
has just returned from the US where she was
writing with The Humans. In October she will
appear in Casualty and in a British romcom called
Three To Tango.

Ive
never been busier, she says. Its
always hard work. People who are successful are
successful because they work hard. Things dont
fall in your lap.